In virtually all water-borne vehicles, it is necessary to carry an adequate supply of life preservers and life jackets for the safety of the crew and any passengers thereaboard. A common problem that often occurs with the stowage of life preservers and life jackets is the optimal usage of space aboard the boat. In many circumstances, the life jackets are simply piled into a box positioned in one location on board the boat or ship. In other circumstances, the life preservers are simply placed in a pile in a deep recess of the boat. Often, such piles of life jackets are inaccessible to those most in need of the life jackets in an emergency situation.
In many boats, the passenger seats are arranged in a fashion similar to that found in airplanes. There are often found rows of seats within a central area of the boat. These seats accommodate passengers during the course of the voyage. In many circumstances, where the travel is of short duration, the passengers are assigned to a seat and generally do not leave the seat during the transit period. These arrangements of seats are often found on ferryboats.
In the course of short duration travel, it is virtually impossible for the boat operators to properly inform the passengers of the location of the life preservers, how to access the life preservers, and how to properly use the life preservers. The accumulation of a large number of life preservers on board the boat is simply a matter of complying with safety requirements. It is extremely unrealistic to expect the boat operator to properly inform the passengers of the safety requirements in the case of emergencies. As a result, if an emergency should occur, the passengers are often in a panic or otherwise unable to properly locate the necessary life jackets.
Another problem associated with the improper stowage of life jackets is that the limited space on board the boat is inefficiently utilized. The space utilized for the accumulation of the large number of life preservers could othewise be used for the storage of luggage, tools, food, or other useful materials. As such, present storage techniques for life jackets promote an inefficient use of space on the boat.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat that includes a proper space for the receipt of a life jacket.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a seat which maximizes the storage capabilities of the water-borne vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a seat which places a life preserver within easy access by the passenger residing in the seat.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a life jacket retaining seat which is easy to manufacture, relatively inexpensive, and comfortable.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.